La Glace
by PhosMos
Summary: When senior in highschool Phosphophyllite loses all her dreams in becoming an ice skater due to her brittle bone disease, an unexpected miracle happens for her. Human AU for Houseki No Kuni/Land of the Lustrous. Loosely based on Yuri! On Ice.
1. Hope? Shattered and Restored!

"For the last time, Kongo, she can't skate."

A sigh escaped her lips, hands going to her face as she rubbed her frustration away. Euclasia Suleth looked up to the tall man, a frown set on her face as she slowly crossed her arms. She was a figure skating coach, known to teach anyone and everyone, no matter the size or looks. However, for the very first time, she just can't help.

Kongo frowned more when he heard that news, his tired eyes moving to the window where he saw the small blonde head of his daughter. She sat outside of the office, seemingly watching kids her age skate around on the ice she yearned to be on. He sighed. Oh, how he failed her again if he were not to defend a bit more.

He turned back to Euclasia.

"Please, Euc. You taught Cinna at such a young age… Why can't you give her a try?" He pleaded, keeping his voice low to not bring attention.

"Phosphophyllite can't skate. If she falls and breaks half of her bones, I will be sued for it. To avoid adding more problems onto my list… I just cannot teach her. She'll just… get hurt. I really do not know why you're still trying, Kongo."

"She has to try! Everyone who had turned her away hasn't even tried. How can they just be so skeptical when they haven't even seen her try?!"

"Kongo!" Euclasia shouted, watching him quiet down. The small child who was watching the skating kids turned back and looked into the window, her blonde hair bouncing off her shoulders as she looked in. Euclasia looked over to Phos and sighed, looking back at Kongo. Her eyes showed sadness. "I love that kid. I was there when she was born and you know this, but… I just can't stand her getting hurt from something she loves. She could break her legs and never use them again. Then she definitely couldn't do it… You see what I mean? I don't want to shatter her dreams… not just yet… So go out and try to find a coach who is willing."

Kongo's face grew sorrowful, his deep gaze looking over to Phos, who stared curiously from the window. He gave a weak smile and waved to her, to which she happily waved back before looking back at the kids. He sighed as he looked back to Euc.

"I understand… I will keep searching. Thank you, Euclasia."

Euc hummed as a welcome before she walked to the door and opened it, nodding for him to exit. With heavy steps, he walked, heading back to his little girl.

Phos looked over to Kongo when he seemed to be done and jumped off the seat, squeaking as she almost fell. After Kongo recovered from his minor heart attack, he gratefully took Phos into his arms and lifted her up, holding her close with a small, forced smile. Phos looked over his face before she pouted.

"That makes number twelve." She said before she hugged her father, eyes down casted as she tried to sound hopeful. Even at six, she had a bright mind. She knew from his eyes. "We'll find someone soon, right, Daddy?"

Kongo felt his breath hitch in his throat when Phos asked such a thing, the man taking a moment before he slowly closed his eyes and held the girl close. With a sigh, he nodded.

"Tomorrow, we'll find you a coach. I promise."

"I don't believe you but okay. Only to make you happy."

"Sweetie, this is about you, not me… I just want you happy."

Kongo pulled away to look at his daughter, staring into her eyes to find if she was upset or not. To his surprise, she seemed fine.

"My happiness will come when you are happy!" Phos said as she smiled brightly. The man took a moment to gather his thoughts, absolutely shocked by her saying such a kind and thoughtful thing. Slowly he smiled and nodded, feeling a bit better about the situation.

"Thank you, Phos. Now… lets continue our search, yes? I'm sure there is someone out there willing to teach you." Kongo said as he pulled Phos a bit higher before placing her on his shoulders, walking towards the exit of the skating rink with a giggly little girl.

As they left, the kids finished up practice, a few going to their friends and giggling with their jokes on how many spins that had done. All but one seemed happy, and that one little girl, more serious than most, watched the man and girl leave with narrowed yet dull eyes. Blue eyes that would scare anyone… seemed soft. How she wondered what they would be in the future.

* * *

"C'mon, please!"

"Absolutely not, Phosphophyllite, you KNOW the school won't like this!"

Phos huffed as she crossed her arms, standing in the sidelines of the school's hockey team's rink. She figured that if she couldn't try figure skating, she'd at least try out hockey! A chance to be on the ice! But… she could see how this was a worse idea. There's so much fighting and bumping. She'd break. So, standing with a sorrowful expression and crossed arms as she heard the scolding from the hockey coach, the small freshman in highschool hung her head low. At this point, she was tired of all the denials.

The scolding continued, every word sounding like venom to the freshman as it poisoned her mind and mood. Her once happy outlook turned sour as she kept her head anywhere but from looking at the coach, tears forming at the brim of her eyes. In the end, she couldn't handle it.

"I get it, I GET IT!" Phos snapped as she turned away and stomped to her backpack, interrupting the scolding given to her before swinging the bag around her arm and rushing out of the room. The head coach was left with a sigh.

The students on the ice, either of the hockey team or just practicing their ice skating, all stopped. Their eyes peered over to see the angry freshman leave. Some laughed, some just sighed in pity. A Sophomore girl who just seemed to be skating sat in the corner, watching this angry girl leave with teared eyes, causing her sharp gaze to soften. And yet another denial… Why didn't she give up?

The whole school knew of the poor girl's situation and her dream. Some look at her with pity, while others laugh at her sad attempts. The poor girl who was small for her age moved around the hallways with haste, seemingly agile from how she missed all the students who almost bumped into her. Her dream was something that meant so much to her and defined her as a person, but… These days she only received pity and insults. She would have gotten bullied for it if it wasn't for her scary senior friend who always hung around her.

Speaking of her scary senior friend.

Phos stomped down the hallways as students went to their first block, which was around 95 minutes on a normal day. She kept her head bowed, trying her best not to bump into anyone. It was only when her friend Cinna pinched her arm was when she looked up, face in pain for a second and fear. She looked to her red head companion and relaxed before sighing, leaning her head on her shoulder as comfort.

"Cinnaaa… They didn't take me in. Again." Phos whined, immediately causing Cinna to roll her eyes.

"Of course they didn't. I told you that you should have known. Now you're all mopey and its annoying." She means well, and Phos knew that, but in the long run she couldn't help but get even more sad. She just pouted as she hugged Cinna's arm, causing the red head to blush in embarrassment. While trying to pry her friend off, she grunted. "C'mon, don't give me that! You're being all pathetic and its not appealing to the boys."

"Boys?! Where?!" Phos gasped as she looked around, squeaking as Cinna pushed her off and she began to fall with a yelp. Cinna luckily grabbed her backpack before she could hit the ground and sighed, lifting her back up to her feet. The blonde looked to Cinna before she smiled awkwardly. "Wrong move?"

"You're such a moron… One mention of guys and you go crazy… What makes you think any would even be interested in you?" Cinna asked, mostly teasing as she raised an eyebrow. Phos whined as she hung her head, her blonde hair falling off her shoulders and hiding her face. She gave small complaints here and there before she looked back up at Cinna with a pout. Cinna blushed a bit once again before she looked away with a sigh. As you could tell, she got embarrassed easily.

"Ugh… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said all that…" She mumbled before looking back at Phos, who seemed to be smiling now. It was a relief to see and Cinna was glad she wasn't sad anymore, so she sent a gentle smile back as well.

"It's okay, I know it's the truth anyway. Especially for you~" Phos said as she got her quick revenge, rushing off to avoid the rage she was about to get from her best friend. After hearing the scream for her to get back to her, Phos giggled and turned around the corner when she reached the end of the hallway, rushing to go to the stairs and rush up of them. Cinna huffed as she reached the stairs and stood at the bottom of them, stomping her foot down before she looked away and went back to her class with a grunt. She'll deal with Phos later…

The blonde girl stopped at the top of the stairs, looking back to see if Cinna followed, giggling when she saw her give up and retreat to her class. After her small giggle fit, she walked into her first class of the day, humming as she sat down in her seat. Very back, near the window. As always. She stared out the glass pane for a few seconds, the bell ringing as she sighed and looked to the front of class. There, whispers of her classmates caught her attention as she looked over in confusion.

Another one of her friends, the school's sweetheart, Diamond, walked into the room. The girl who was usually a brunette now had white hair with an array of colorful highlights. The classmates all whispered to each other, some up right complimenting the girl on her hair. As usual, she blushed gently and laughed, giving a soft and kind thank you. Phos was amazed, finding the new look quite… beautiful. Stunning.

She kept her eyes on her friend as she walked to the back and sat in her usual spot as well, the desk right next to Phos'. That's when Phos decided to indulge.

"Dia…" Phos whispered to the girl, who looked over in curiosity with that gentle smile of hers. Phos only blushed more from her hair seeming to glow a bit. What the world? "I love your new look! What did you do?..."

"Awe, Phos… Thank you!" Diamond said as she smiled brightly before she placed a hand on her pastel rainbow hair, humming. "I recently got it done as a birthday gift from my mom. But my birthday isn't for a few more days, so I was quite surprised." A giggle left her lips as she spoke, a hand going to her mouth next as she gave a cute tilt of her head. No wonder why the school adored her friend so, she was downright cute and kind to the bone.

"How do you feel? With a new and sudden change like that?" Phos asked, her eyes still on the colorful hair in amazement. Her jaw would be on the floor from how wide her mouth was.

"Me? Oh, why… I feel excited!... Everyone seems to like it and… I feel more sure of myself! So very happy and confident!" Diamond said with a hum, looking down at her book bag as she placed it down and her smile softened. She began to pull out her books for the class, since the teacher was finally in. "By the by, dear, Phos, I looked up the origin of your name…"

"My name?" Phos blinked. Out of everyone in the school, only three of the students there had a name with a rock base. Phos bet there was more, but none to the extent as her, Diamond, and even Cinna. Diamond, which was obvious, was named after the rare material that goes on jewelry. Cinna was named after the gem Cinnabar, a very weak gem on the mohs scale with a 2. As for Phos… She was named after a Phosphophyllite. Mohs scale of 3.5. She was basically cursed with the brittle bone disease from how she was named after such a weak gem.

"Yes, your name!" Diamond said as she picked up her notebook and showed a page after turning to it. There, she had a list of names followed by colors. Phos' name was there at the top, in bold. Right next to it was the color 'mint green', causing the girl to blink in surprise. "Your name is the gem Phosphophyllite! It has a mint green or teal color! That's the color I think you should dye your hair in! I am recommending anyone to dye their hair like mine! It just makes me feel so confident! After all, a change is good! And I think you'd look so cute in a new hair color!"

"Mint green, huh?..." Phos mumbled as she placed a hand on her long blond hair, running her fingers through it with a distant look. After a few moments of silence, her expression became one of determination. She's been so down in the dumps with her denials of her dreams recently, that maybe she does need a change like this. She nodded to her friend before she pointed at her nose, then Diamond's then back at her's. She looked back at her books and excitedly went to work. Diamond laughed, knowing that look before she looked back to the front of the classroom with a gentle smile. She was glad to get her friend out of the dumps…

* * *

Winter time was the worse. The cold got your nose all cold and runny, and it hurts to breathe sometimes if you don't warm it up. Your eyes sting from the chilly air and your shivering gets painful after a while. Phos hated it. The now senior walked in the city park with her father, Kongo being the one to look around the park. He only stopped when Phos did, as she shivered and complained a bit. She was now a senior in highschool, having four years passed by and fewer friends than most. Clumsier and more able to break. And her dream? She had given up on it. She was planning on going into college with an art major. A drawing career could be in easier than the old one she wanted. She only gave up finally in her sophomore year, when she was finally bullied for her hope. After being punched and sent home with a broken jaw, she knew exactly that it was just impossible with how easily she broke.

So here she was, on Christmas break with her father as they decided to do a family bonding walk in the park. The only people here were those who loved the snow and the cold and those who just loved being outside. Family bonding.

Kongo stopped at a bench, patting the seat for Phos to sit on before he pointed to the food trucks. He mentioned he was going to get them something to eat, the girl nodding in agreement. She was rather hungry. After flashing a bright smile and saw her dad walk away, she sighed, pushing her mint green hair back under her hat to keep her head warm. She sat there in silence, humming gently as she looked up at the trees. She found herself smiling again.

She may have hated winter, but man she can't deny that it was beautiful.

But not as beautiful as the skater that caught her attention.

Every Saturday, the city park of New York City held a skating show off, where every one of the best skaters in ice skating come by and show off what they got. Phos was always thrilled to see it until three years ago. Finally seeing it again, she was practically entranced.

There, she stood and slowly walked to the rink, where people had gathered and watched the gracefulness of the skater. The Skater was a young female with bright white hair that was short and messy, who eyes a piercing blueish grey as she skated on the ice, doing triple toe flips and axes galore. Her hands rolling over her hair and elegantly moving left, right, up, down… Her foot work was just so graceful.

Phos was just downright amazed, eyes wide and full of the lost wonder she thought she had lost all those years ago. And she swore her heart skipped a beat when their eyes met, the mint green haired girl gasping in air as she tried to control the blush on her cheeks, which only grew from her amazement. Her eyes were practically glimmering.

She wanted to ice skate again.

The performance was done in those next few minutes and Phos sat and watched the whole thing. Kongo stood behind her, holding two trays of food that he bought. He had seen Phos looking at this skater in such wonder that he didn't dare try to get her attention. All he did was watch her and the skater with a smile. He was relieved to see his daughter get her hope back. She had been much too pouty these past years.

The skater moved out of her ending pose, where most of the people around clapped and cheered, but she had her attention on something else. As she gracefully moved to the edge of the rink, she grabbed a towel and a drink from who seemed to be her father, listening to the compliment her needy father gave. She sighed when she was done drinking her water, seemingly mumbling something to him before her sharp eyes looked over to Phos.

As a response, Phos squeaked and blushed deeply out of embarrassment. Why was she looking at her with such a glare?!

The skater threw the towel back to her father and skated over to Phos, the two standing face to face with the only thing separating them being the small wall put up for safety. Phos stared with wide eyes, that still glimmered in such a way that you'd think she was a child again. The skater's eyes narrowed for a bit, as if in thought, trying to remember something.

Then she spoke.

"You…" She started, a think accent, that Phos couldn't pick out, being heard. "You're that girl. The girl who is always denied of skating, yes?"

Phos blinked rapidly, utterly shocked.

"W..wh-"

"I've been watching you." She said as she tapped her own head. The skater's intimidating glare turned to one of kindness as she smiled a bit. "I never seen someone so passionate for skating… Even when you've been denied. However, I haven't seen you try in these past years…"

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Phos shouted out with a bright red face, causing Kongo to gently chuckle at his daughter's outburst. "I-I uh… I always wanted to skate since I was a kid, but… What do you mean you've been watching me?..."

The skater just smiled.

_As they left, the kids finished up practice, a few going to their friends and giggling with their jokes on how many spins they had done. All but one seemed happy, and that one little girl, more serious than most, watched the man and girl leave with narrowed yet dull eyes. Blue eyes that would scare anyone… seemed soft. How she wondered what they would be in the future._

Phos blinked at the smile, her confusion growing. Slowly she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The skater closed her eyes with a hum.

_The students on the ice, either of the hockey team or just practicing their ice skating, all stopped. Their eyes peered over to see the angry freshman leave. Some laughed, some just sighed in pity. A Sophomore girl who just seemed to be skating sat in the corner, watching this angry girl leave with teared eyes, causing her sharp gaze to soften. And yet another denial… Why didn't she give up? _

"Like I said. I've watched you. You never noticed me, for I was on the ice, but whenever I was on that ice, you would come to whoever was teaching that day and ask them to teach you. They'd always say no, and you'd leave in sorrow, only to come back. I expected you to come back after my own father denied you, but you never did. Though, I did hear you were in the hospital with a broken jaw… A rather strange reason, but I did not question much more than that. Strange."

"You…" Phos was utterly amazed. Someone she never met before… had always been watching her and she didn't know for how long?! Just how-

"Phosphophyllite Adamant." Her thick voice caused Phos to stand at attention, causing another snort from her father. "From this day forward, I will be your coach. Practice is every morning from seven to nine. Do not be late, for I love a good morning of exercise and practice." The skater said with a wink, causing Phos to blink rapidly. She was still comprehending all that was said in a matter of minutes, eyes wider than ever before as she tried to understand. "I am Antarcticite Zima. It'll be a pleasure to teach you."

"WHAAAAAT?!"


	2. The First Practice

Phos sat in the corner in her room, legs brought up to her chest as she hugged them close. A deadpanned look on her face as her blueish green eyes followed the intruder in her room, who looked around at her stuff. She wasn't an intruder, per say, but she didn't like the fact that Antarc was looking at all her belongings on shelves, which held snow globes and knickknacks galore. On the pale cream walls held signed posters of famous ice skaters and pictures of her family. Cousins, best friends, her own father, you named it. Amid the messy room held an array of soft, small stuffed animals, which either laid on the ground or were scattered along her bedroom wall. Bookshelves lined near her tall, white door were filled with books and novels, all about ice skating or just random fictional stories.

Despite the comfort of her chaotic room she came to love, she sat in the corner on her bed, curled up as she kept a close eye on Antarc. The white-haired woman ran her fingers along the shelves, looking at the dusty finger when she was finished before she rubbed it on her black leggings. She spared a glace to Phos, silver-blue eyes narrowing a bit before she curtly turned to her, hands going to her hips.

"From what I can tell," Antarc huffed. "you don't take care of your room much. Meaning you can be quite careless."

Phos blushed deeply, finding embarrassment within that statement and utter offense. She held her mouth agape, shoulders tensed.

"Wha- What?! I do take care of my room! I'm not careless!"

"Then clean your room. I barely know you, after all, so this is a bit of a bad first impression."

Phos grumbled as she hid within herself a bit more before she dramatically got up from her bed. She picked up the papers from school and her stuffed animals, mumbling minor insults about Antarc, which she didn't mean. Antarc watched, her face remaining harsh as she moved her arms from her hips to her chest, crossing them in a motherly fashion. Every time Phos tried to stop and look to Antarc, the woman just glared back at the teen, who squeaked and went back to work.

This kept going until the room's floor was visible, causing Phos to groan dramatically once again and fall onto the bed, face in the pillows. Antarc narrowed her eyes before walking over and slapping her back. Phos yelled out as she grabbed her back and rolled off the bed and onto pillows, causing a held back snort from Antarc. The two had met a total of three days ago and they just now got the chance to talk. Antarc said it was important for a coach to know their students' weaknesses and strengths. So, like any sane coach (not), she barged right into Phos' room and began looking at everything. Kongo apparently thought it was a grand idea, being that he was in the hallway the first five minutes with a smile on his face, having a nice conversation with the coach.

And now they are here, the two bickering over the whole secrets of Phosphophyllite and how Phos denies all the weaknesses. She just didn't see it! And she was embarrassed if others did.

"Like I said: Careless." Antarc spoke up as Phos laid on the ground, a complaining groan coming from the teal haired girl. Slowly, Phos sat up, looking at Antarc with another deadpanned look. Antarc simply stared back. "Careless for your surroundings, and in turn for yourself. Your bed isn't even made."

"Is this some kind of ploy to make me clean my room? Did Dad set you up to this?" Phos asked, being oddly skeptical as she stared at Antarc, who seemed more irritated now. She had no clue that this soon-to-be adult was acting like a child. Just who did she think she was?

"If you must know, this isn't what your father put me into. My job is to coach you. I am simply doing this for my own benefit to see what kind of person you are."

"What?! But all you've done is insult me!" Phos said as she stood to her feet. She probably had done it a little too quickly, because she felt her balance shift, causing the girl to squeak as she tripped over her own two feet. She yelped as she began to fall before a pair of gloved hands caught her, making her blink in surprise. She looked up with those curious pair of eyes before seeing it was Antarc who caught her, who held the serious face that Phos was starting to get used to.

"I haven't finished." Antarc said as she tightened her grip on Phos' arm, who blinked in surprise once again. "You're clumsy, which will be your end if you don't work on it, since you have that dreaded disease. You're reckless, always saying without thinking or acting without the same. You're spoiled, thinking that everything will go your way, when obviously it has not."

Phos felt her ears slowly glow red from all the insults about her, an angry pout on her face as she tried not to yell out in anger. She knew they were all right. Every single insult. But she didn't want to admit how much of it was right. So, in the end, she stayed quiet, letting Antarc say all that needs to be said. And when Antarc stopped, she expected that to be all. Just insults, denial of teaching her, and giving up on her dream again. Until...

"But, there are other things about you that are good. To every bad, there's a good... You have a heart of gold, Phosphophyllite. Your dreams are important to you and you try to do them, no matter the costs. You follow you heart and always think of others before yourself, even if its reckless sometimes. You make all these friends easily and you do nothing but care for them." Antarc slowly let go of Phos' arm, the stunned girl staring at the other, pure shock residing over her face. "You're a good kid, Phos. Even with all those negatives, your positives shine through."

Antarc smiled a bit. It was barely visible, but Phos saw it. And for a second, she forgot that this was a coach. HER coach.

"So... you won't drop me as a student?" Phos mumbled out the question as if it was hard to breathe, Antarc almost taken aback by such a thing. Soon, she shook her head.

"No, I won't give up on you. I was asked by your father to take you on, and at first, I was a bit skeptical, seeing as every kid I tried to teach just had no passion. But you? You showed promise. Your father told me how much you aspire to be, and when you gave up on such an amazing dream, he was worried. So, he came to the ice rink and asked for the most skilled ice skater who wanted a challenge. Everyone referred to me and I stepped up. Truth is, I love a challenge. And you, with the disease that causes your bones to break with the slightest impact, were the perfect challenge."

"So," Phos started, amazed. "My dad... found a coach for me... and you're willing to take me on?"

"Of course." Antarc said with the tilt of her head, smiling. This smile was much gentler than the other ones. "Anyone can do anything. Including a weak girl, like you, to skate. It just takes immense balance, which you can gain with practice. And that is why I am here."

So, in the end, Phos figured out why she had a coach. Kongo was worried for her and went to find a coach once and for all. He ends up meeting Antarc and asks her, explaining her situation. After thinking about how she loves a challenge, she accepted and apparently arranged a spot for them to meet. So, that's why Kongo said they should go for a walk. In the winter cold. In the outside. Out of nowhere. It all made sense. Especially when Kongo told her to sit down in a bench, right across from the ice-skating rink. Just so she could see Antarc skate as beautifully as she did.

In the end, she guessed she owed her father.

* * *

Phos laid in her room, lights off as she took in the smell of her dinner that sat on her nightstand. Tonight's dinner was her favorite: Spaghetti with garlic bread. She had no idea why she adored such a dish that would be so simple to someone else, but she loved it. Anyways, she laid in her bed, hands behind her back as she stared up at the glow in the dark stars that she had recently put up on the ceiling. Many thoughts were in her head, but none as major as a promise. A promise she was making to herself.

She must be a great student. No matter what. She cannot let Antarc down.

Phos sighed as she moved her hands over her eyes. How she became her coach wasn't the only thing she learned.

_"What about you? Will I ever get to know more about you?" Phos asked as she pouted to Antarc, the two now folding her laundry. Antarc pondered at the idea of telling her stories, before she sighed. She sat down a blue shirt onto the floor, moving her legs to be crossed so she sat more comfortably._

_"Let's see. I am from Russia. My parents and I were born there, but they were raised there. They moved here after I turned 7. I began my lessons at four when my father, Barbata Floes, retired his ice skating career."_

_"BARBATA?!" Phos squealed, a huge blush on her face from complete shock and amazement. Barbata was Russia's greatest figure skater! Phos' idol, practically! No wonder why Antarc was so good! "H-He's your father?! I heard he moved to America years ago, but I had no idea it was so close to me!"_

_"You learn something new every day." Antarc smiled. Phos smiled gently. She supposed that solved the mystery of what accent she had. It was light, but noticeable. She was glad that so many questions were being answered._

And then they went to grab the dinner Kongo made, Phos being the one to grab hers and walk to her room while he went and showed Antarc the guest room she'll be sleeping in. She figured out her parents were out of town for a while, about a few months, due to Christmas being around the corner. Antarc had no interest in going to Russia, though, and declined. For the time being, she was staying with Kongo, who were good friends with Barbata and his wife.

Phos sighed for the hundredth time today, nodding to herself about the promise earlier. Yeah, she had to make Antarc proud. She seemed to have a lot of expectations for her.

* * *

The next morning came fast, the cold air causing Phos to shiver away. She began to wonder why she was so cold suddenly before she cracked open her eyes, looking up at Antarc, who held the blanket in her arms. Phos whined in response before curling up on herself. The coach sighed before walking to the window and opening the curtains, the teal haired girl screaming as she covered her eyes and fell off the bed again. Good thing the pillows there always stay. She was known for rolling out of bed a lot, after all.

"Wake up. Today is the first practice day." Was all Antarc said before she turned back to Phos, draping the blanket over a nearby chair. She crossed her arms as Phos slowly stood, rubbing her head with a whine.

"What's today?..." Phos asked with a yawn, trying to open her eyes a bit more. Antarc was surprised by the question, not sure how Phos didn't know before she figured it was just a tired mind working.

"Sunday. The 15th of December."

"What time is it now?"

"It's 7 o'clock."

"Why so earlyyy..." Phos whined as she slowly fell back onto the bed, using what was left of her pillows to cover her head. Antarc sighed before she walked to the bed and picked up the pillows, tilting her head.

"Because the ice rink is open this early with barely anyone there. I rented it out today just for the both of us. Come on."

"In the cold?! The cruel, cold, winter world?!" Phos gasped, sitting up as her messy teal hair bounced.

"Oh, you'll live." Antarc said before she walked to Phos and ruffled her hair, causing her to pout in response. After a bit, the two finally finished their bickering and went to go and get ready for the day. By seven thirty, they were leaving the house, with Phos giving Kongo a goodbye kiss on his cheeks. The two walked, both wearing heavy coats as they went to the nearby ice rink. Phos made small talk, trying to get rid of the silence of the wind, which brought chills to her back and arms every time.

When they eventually got there, it was about 8 o'clock, and the ice rink was empty except for its workers. Antarc placed a few chocolates on the counter and smiled to the girl behind the counter. The girl, Bri, seemed to be spending her first hours of her birthday at work, but that didn't seem to bother her. After checking in, the two walked to the locker room, where a very excited Phos was about to jump every which way in excitement.

"My very first-time skating! I can't believe it! I never ever thought I'd make it this far! Oh, you have no idea how excited I am!"

"Hold your horses, kid." Antarc said as she placed one of the pair of skates down, showing it was Phos' as she sat down on a nearby bench and began placing the pair she still had on. "You still need to learn balance. It'll be a long time before you can skate without falling."

"Kid? I'm a year younger than you!" Phos said as she pouted before she tilted her head. "I'm sure balancing will be easy! I doubt I'll be there for a long time! A long time is... what? Two weeks?"

Antarc looked to Phos for a split second before going back to tying her skate's laces. "Even at a young age, where everything being learned was easy, it took me a year at the least to balance."

"Oh boy..." Phos sighed as she sat down on the bench across from Antarc, blowing a piece of hair from her face. She leaned forward a bit, hands going to her cheeks as she rested her elbows on her knees. "You aren't good at motivating people."

"I'm not motivating, I'm saying facts." Antarc snapped a bit before she stood and walked over to Phos, helping her into the skates since she was done. "Anyways, I'll keep my hands on you to make sure you don't fall. I don't need you breaking a bone the first practice, after all."

"Oh~ Take me to a movie first!" Phos teased before she received a flick on her forehead, causing her to yelp and hold her head. "That hurt!"

"Be serious, I'm trying to make sure you don't paralyze yourself or something..." Antarc said with a small sigh.

Once the two had skates, Antarc stood, holding onto Phos' hands as she slowly stood as well. Phos let out a shaking sigh as she stared down at her feet, knees beginning to buckle a bit. She would have fell if she wasn't trying so hard to impress her coach. Even while standing, she felt useless. It took a bit, but she managed to shuffle her way onto the ice, her hands around Antarc's neck as the other held Phos' waist, trying to make sure she didn't fall. Despite the nervousness of falling, Phos was excited to have her feet planted on the ice.

Slowly, Antarc let her go after confirming it was alright, Phos nodding once Antarc skated away. She didn't go too far, just enough for Phos to have room. Phos slowly looked down at her feet as her legs shook from the unbalanced work, yet stayed still on the ice, as she was too scared to move. Immediately, she felt herself slowly look up, panting as she looked to Antarc with a smile. She didn't even do anything yet and she was already beyond excited. Slowly, she laughed, her laughter echoing throughout the empty rink. Antarc found herself smiling gently, not realizing that she found joy in hearing such a laugh.

"Antarc!... I'm on the ice!... I'm on the ice and no one is stopping me from it!" Phos exclaimed, laughing as her arms that were in mid air for balance slowly went to her chest. Overwhelmed in happiness, she kept her arms close as she lowered her head, her laughter turning into happy sobs. Antarc, in worry, skated over.

"O-Oh uh..." Antarc reached a hand out to Phos, hesitating a bit. She had no idea why Phos was suddenly crying or how she was going to comfort her. She awkwardly placed a hand on Phos' back, patting it before tilting her head. "Don't... cry?"

"I'm sorry!" Phos said as she laughed a bit between sobs. "I-I'm just! So happy!... I never thought..." Antarc stared at Phos as she waited for her to finish her sentence, noticing that Phos was shaking a bit too much, perhaps from the overwhelming excitement and trying to stay up. Phos looked up to Antarc, smiling with tears rolling down her cheeks. Her face was red from all the embarrassment. "I never thought I'd be on the ice!... Just standing here means so much!..."

Antarc slowly removed her hand from Phos' back, her eyes scanning over her face as her eyes were wide in confusion. Soon, she chose to not ask any questions and instead enjoy the happiness Phos seemed to feel. She sighed as she shook her head, a small smile appearing. She can see why she is happy, at least.

"I'm glad."

Phos smiled to Antarc when the Russian responded, slowly nodding. Soon she stood up straight, wiping her tears. She felt herself moving backwards unintentionally next and squeaked, panicking as she tried to get her balance back. She flailed her arms around to try and grab something, hating the fact that she was in the middle of the rink before she was suddenly grabbed. She gasped as Antarc grabbed her waist and brought her close, the woman staring at her with those intense eyes once again.

"Be careful!... I have you. Stop panicking... See, look. You're fine."

Those words causing Phos such comfort and she had no idea why.

After taking a deep breath, Phos felt her cheek grow red. If anyone were to talk in, she'd be embarrassed from how close the two were. However, Russians are very affectionate, so it was no wonder why Antarc was the same.

"I'm okay now... Can I try moving across the ice?..."

"Only if you are ready."

"With you being here I am..."

Such an innocent comment and yet, Antarc blushed from it, the woman gasping a bit. Soon, she shook her head before she moved around from Phos a bit, just grabbing her hand.

"Alright, go as slow as you need. I am here to catch you if you fall, yes?"

"Yeah..." Phos felt like that will happen a lot.

They took a bit to get Phos used to the skates before they began to glide, going along the edges. They were slow, but it was a start. Phos squeaked every time she swayed and almost fell, eyes always on the ground. Eventually, she could glide without staring at her feet.

"Antarc?" Phos broke the silence, the other looking at her with interest.

"Yes?"

"Can I have more information on you?... I feel like I still don't know you."

"That's a good thing."

"Antarc..."

"Fine." Antarc sighed as she looked away from Phos and looked forward, keeping her hands on Phos' hand. "About a year ago, I was released from the hospital."

"Huh? For what?" Phos asked, surprised at the sudden fact. She expected to know about a pet or something.

"Cancer."

Phos' eyes widened and stared at Antarc as they kept gliding. Those silver-blue eyes were dark and distant, as if she was thinking.

"More specifically, Leukemia. It's a cancer where there are too many white blood cells and they attack your body. They get confused. I had AML, which was usually found in the elderly..." Antarc explained, causing Phos to frown a bit.

"Are you cancer free?..."

"I won't know until four years. It could come back any time. My bone marrow donor was only a 56 percent match. My body could deny it any day now."

"Bone marrow donor?..." Phos was confused now.

"Yes." Antarc said before she looked to Phos before blushing a bit and looking away. "Nevermind that, I doubt it'll be back. Many patients leave without it coming back."

"And what if it does?"

Antarc was silent. Phos watched her, waiting for an answer before she stopped, almost tripping in the process.

"Antarc, what if it does?"

Antarc looked to Phos, a sad smile on her face. "I'll enjoy life as much as I can. Like I've been doing." Soon she changed the subject. "Let's try something else for practice, maybe going a bit faster."

Phos frowned. She didn't like that answer, but she supposed she understood a bit of the context. From her guess... Antarc is doomed if it did come back. She'll do research when they get back.

They kept going.

"And you? What about your disease. Can you tell me a bit more about it?" Antarc asked, keeping her eyes forward. Phos hummed.

"Well. Just by falling I can break any bone I land on. My bones are so weak and brittle because when I was forming in my Mama's stomach, I guess I never got the calcium needed... in result, I am just a teen who can't do sports, P.E. and... skate. But this! This will prove that wrong!" Phos nodded before looking to Antarc and smiling. Soon she looked down with a frown. "And even if I did break a bone, I don't just break a bone and cry... I get sick. High fevers and my head gets all dizzy... I get panic attacks if it gets bad enough..."

"You broke your bones before?..." Antarc asked, quite surprised. Phos smiled sadly.

"That's part of the reason why I gave up on skating. A kid punched me and my jaw broke. That's why I missed school for that week and came back with a weird looking thing on my head. It showed that I was fragile, that I can't get close to my goal. I'll just fall again... and again..."

"Oh... that explains it. I usually saw you in the cafeteria during lunch, so I was worried. That was my Junior year."

"Sophomore year for me, yeah."

"I am sorry."

"I am too."

They two remained quiet as they skated, Phos having too much on her mind to even think about her excitement for even skating. Too much on her mind...

She wondered if Antarc was the same as her right now. Too much on the mind.

Honestly, Phos found it amazing. Both had illnesses that hinder their health, both had rocks or gems for names, both has a supportive father and who them beyond their limits and comfort zones... How interesting did Phos think this was.

* * *

Phos laid in her bed again, staring up at those stars. At the end of practice, she was told that next practice, they will work on more balancing and more gliding, which Phos was excited for. She had no clue that she'd enjoy it so much. Phos was excited and Antarc seemed like she was, as well.

Phos sighed as she closed her eyes and went to sleep. They had grown close... And she was glad. All great ice skaters had a close relationship with their coach. Some parents, others best friends.

Lovers.

Phos snapped her eyes open and felt her face flush into a deep red. She shouldn't be thinking about that!

Yet... She knew she had to keep that promise she made for herself.

In these days she knew Antarc... She really wanted to make her proud.


End file.
